Letter: New food safety rules are agricultural equivalent of the ACA

Public comment is requested on the FDA's overpowering new Food Safety Modernization Act updates, especially from growers and food processors: what is doable, how they'll economically impact you, and what you're already doing to be safe.

These thousands of pages will transform family farming, already by far the safest form. As written so far, they require of every grower, even those with never a problem: extreme record-keeping, field fencing, frequent, expensive water testing (up to weekly for surface water), self-paid random inspections, virtual banning of manure use, required employee training and much more.

Enforcement power, with huge fines and farm closures, will be absolute and without appeal, and moves to DHS and international authorities. Any violation may empower DHS to close farms temporarily in an entire area.

Every farmer, processor and consumer needs to be familiar with these laws, but there has been no public discussion of this agricultural equivalent of the ACA.

There is a Produce Rule for farmers, and a Preventive Controls Rule for food processors. These are the first two of five planned so far. So far only produce growers are covered, but next on the agenda will be rules for animal feed. One would expect rules for animal care in the future.

Public input so far has resulted in some exemptions for direct-sale farms grossing under $500,000, though corporate agriculture is already challenging those. But these exemptions have bolstered proponents' claims that the rules are no big deal, not applying to "most" farmers anyway, and necessary for food safety.

The comment period closes Nov. 15. To learn more, including how to comment, visit sustainableagriculture.net/fsma or fda.gov, or search "food safety November 15." You can also contact legislators and farmers' representatives.

Comments may be submitted online or by mail; anonymously or under your name, which will receive a response.

Sara Stewart

Sheboygan

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Letter: New food safety rules are agricultural equivalent of the ACA

Public comment is requested on the FDA's overpowering new Food Safety Modernization Act updates, especially from growers and food processors: what is doable, how they'll economically impact you, and

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